Entries tagged with: GZA

"Somewhere around 10 p.m. (give or take 5-7 minutes) the Wu Tang Clan finally takes the stage. Pretty much everyone who I could recognize (Method Man, Ghostface Killah, etc.) was there, though I don't know what each and every member looks like, so I can't say for sure that every key member made the show.

Wu made sure to perform a bunch of their most well-known hits, including "C.R.E.A.M.," "Method Man," and "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit."

As I heard he tends to do, Method Man made sure to crowd-surf for a while.

The group also shouted out Old Dirty Bastard. And ODB's mom was at the show and came on stage, saying hello to the crowd for a second. They also did a bit of "Shimmy Shimmy Ya."..." [Inside Hoops]

Actually that recap is slightly wrong - Ghost wasn't there, but pretty much everyone else was - even RZA. There was also GZA (Genius), U-God, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killah, Cappadonna, Allah Mathematics, and Raekwon. More pictures and another review from last night's show (12/23), and a Christmas video featuring RZA, below...

GZA finished strong as Killah Priest did Liquid’s spiritual anthem “B.I.B.L.E.” and GZA did the crowd favorite “I Gotcha Back.” Some classic moments with legendary material definitely took place though and GZA showcased real upper echelon rhyme skills. He may have benefited had he actually performed Liquid Swords in its entirety but the tribute to his best work and arguably the Wu’s strongest solo platter came off dope nonetheless. The cult of Liquid Swords wouldn’t have it any other way. [AllHipHop]

GZA plays his first of two NYC "Liquid Swords" shows at Knitting Factory tonight. Will it be a good show? Not according to the Guardian reviewer who saw it recently in London....

The decision to give a hip-hop album, namely Genius/GZA's 1995 masterpiece Liquid Swords, the Don't Look Back treatment raises an interesting question: how will a concept that involves faithfully re-creating a classic album fare in the field of live hip-hop, where rappers struggle to faithfully re-create a single song? The answer comes within minutes: it won't. [Guardian]

With a new album reportedly coming out in April 2008, Portishead are officially back in action. They proved that this weekend by playing not one, but two reunion shows at the ATP Festival in Minehead (Dec 8-9, 2007). Portishead also curated the shows that included Aphex Twin, GZA, OM, Oneida, A Hawk & A Hacksaw, Boris, Black Mountain and many others. BV correspondent Zach Dilgard was on hand to take pictures. He caught the second Portishead show (night two), and he had this to say....

everyone was amazing. Portishead played about 1/2 old stuff and 1/2 new material. all of the new songs were monstrous.

aphex twin played a solid 2 hours with material i've never heard before. everyone was dancing like crazy... the floor was literally shaking the whole two hours from everyone bouncing.

"Reunited rap group Wu-Tang Clan has announced a list of locations for a fall/winter tour behind "8 Diagrams," the hip-hop collective's first new album since 2001.

Preliminary scheduling for the tour has the outfit kicking off Oct. 20 in Miami, FL, and hitting a total of 26 cities through late November. Specific venues--and, in some cases, specific cities--are still unconfirmed." [Live Daily]

UPDATE:Wu-Tang cancelled their tour, and Ghostface added more dates...

It was unfortunate that GZAcancelled the 'Liquid Swords' show that was supposed to happen at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn on Saturday September 15th, but the fact that he's now doing it at the much smaller Knitting Factory - TWICE - kind of makes up for it. Tickets are on sale for the show on December 13th, and the one the next day on December 14th. (thx Hiro)

This Sunday (August 19, 2007) will be the last free party of the summer at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn. Hopefully it won't be the last one ever - you don't have to agree, but whether you want the pool next year to look something like the above video, or something more like the hipster version of Scores - just make sure you let the government know. Only you can make a difference.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. In addition to Feist/BSS, Modest Mouse & The Chemical Brothers, there will be one more ticketed show at the Pool this September, and it will be a benfit for OSA-Open Space Alliance-the entity most responsible for keeping concerts happening there. The date of the show is September 15th, and the lineup consists of the very talented Mr Jamie Lidell, and sir GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan - and YES, GZA will be performing Liquid Swords from start to finish - like he did at the Pitchfork Festival. Ticket details coming shortly.

We have a pair of tickets to give away to the Devin the Dude show at Knitting Factory this Friday night. Want them? E-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Devin), and let us know who the best hip hop act you ever saw live was. One winner will be picked at random. Include your first and last name for guestlist purposes.